


I'm Not Leaving

by aceschwarz222



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Parent Tony Stark, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-09
Updated: 2017-07-17
Packaged: 2018-11-12 05:17:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11155026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aceschwarz222/pseuds/aceschwarz222
Summary: Prompt request: Could I request one where Tony Stark accidentally hits a 13/14 yr old girl with his car and brings her to the tower for medical? He notices the girl is covered in bruises. He looks into it and finds out she’s in foster care. She wakes up scared shitless and yells at him that he should’ve just left her to die cause she can’t stand living in her situation anymore. He promises she will be safe from now on and with the help of the team, she learns to trust again and feel loved.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: angst, mentions of abuse and suicidal thoughts

When you ran away from your foster home, you didn’t expect certain things to happen. For example, you didn’t expect the weatherman’s prediction of a cool and clear night to be dead wrong. Instead, you found yourself drenched walking along the side of the road. It was certainly cool, and you could feel the stiff breeze sink further and further into your bones with each step you took. You also didn’t expect to forget how to get to the train station. Your directions had all but dissolved in the downpour, and your phone had died three blocks ago.

But, out of all of the unexpectedness of the evening, you sure as hell didn’t expect to get hit by Tony Stark’s car.

* * *

**Tony’s POV**

 

“Remind me again why you’re driving a car when you have a perfectly functional suit?” Steve asked in his earpiece.

“Aww, c’mon Cap,” Nat chided from the quinjet comm system, “you know how Stark likes his toys.”

Tony shifted gears as he sped even closer to the enemy car in front of him. He shook his head at the speakers in his ceiling. “This is not just a car, you insolent children. This is a state-of-the-art criminal catching machine!”

“State-of-the-art criminal catching machine?” Bucky asked.

“Eh, still working on the name. Point is, this car can predict the movements of an enemy vehicle. Watch.”

Tony shifted once more and pressed a red button near the navigation screen. The blue Corvette in front of him popped on the screen. A green light scanned the car and showed, with 98% accuracy, that the car would veer to the left in the next 1500 feet.  

“Car’s gonna head left into an alley,” he relayed to the team. “Be prepared for takedown.”

“Roger,” Nat replied.

“Bucky and I will head him off,” Steve said.

Now, if this had been a normal chase, the HYDRA agent in the blue Corvette would have drifted left into an abandoned alley to try and escape through Chinatown. Unfortunately, as luck would have it, a young girl chose that exact moment to cross the sidewalk, completely oblivious to her surroundings. The agent saw her just in time, and a shrill screech filled the air as he yanked the steering wheel the opposite direction. He sped off to the right instead of the left, missing her just in time.

Tony wasn’t so lucky.

He saw the girl’s terrified figure a second too late and spun the wheel desperately. He heard a sickening thud as he braked and jolted to a stop. Breathing heavily, he unlatched the door and wobbled over to her crumpled figure.

“Oh Jesus,” Tony whispered, kneeling in front of her. “A kid…oh my…oh my god, a kid.” A fresh gash trickled blood down the side of her forehead, and her palms were completely torn to shreds. She had a fresh tear in her jeans, and Tony couldn’t tell if the fabric was stained red with blood or darkened from the soaked ground. He held shaking fingers to her neck and nearly keeled over in relief when he found a pulse. She was still alive!

“Tony! What the hell happened?” Steve yelled.

“The car…I hit…I hit a kid,” Tony managed to stutter.

“A kid?!” Nat exclaimed.

“I’ve gotta get her…get her…”

“Tony,” Steve said calmly, “we’ve got the HYDRA agent. Get the kid back to the Tower and into the Cradle. Get her to Bruce.”

Tony nodded even though he knew Steve couldn’t see his face. He looked back at his car and saw the driver’s side mirror dangling by a few wires. The rest of the car looked completely unblemished.

“I just clipped you,” he gasped in relief. “Just clipped.” He shook his head to snap out of it, and gently lifted her off the street. He placed her into the back of the car and (carefully) raced back to the Tower.

“FRIDAY, prep the Cradle!” Tony shouted as he burst through the door to his lab. Bruce was ready at the table and carefully helped Tony place her on the stretcher. The machine hummed and whirred as Bruce carefully cut off her pants and shirt to inspect the damage.

“What happened?” Bruce asked as he cut along the seam of her shirt.

“I was chasing a car,” Tony panted, “and she came out of nowhere. I didn’t mean to…”

“I know,” Bruce comforted. “I know.” He gently peeled the soaking fabric off her skin and went to grab a medical sheet. His brow furrowed as he noticed something was off.

“You just hit her, right?” he asked.

“Clipped,” Tony corrected. “I clipped her.”

“Either way….” Bruce trailed off. He pointed to her stomach and ribs. “Look at this bruising here. They’ve already turned yellow, which means they’re old.”

“What are you saying?”

“It would just be a guess…”

“Well guess!”

Bruce sighed as he finished cutting off her pants and placed the sheet over the girl’s body. He tapped a few buttons on the Cradle’s screen and the translucent cover hissed as it closed over her. Tony stood there, arms crossed and gaze intense.

“You feel like finishing that statement, Bruce?” he asked impatiently. However, in the back of his mind, he had a feeling he knew what the good doctor was going to say.

“It looks like she’s been hit before tonight,” Bruce finally admitted.

Tony walked over to the cradle and peered down at her frail form. Anger bubbled from the pit of his stomach and crept its way up his body, a warm rage taking over. Tony was convinced there was a special place in hell for people who hit kids.

“FRIDAY,” Tony said stoically, “run facial recognition. Get me a name.” He stalked over to his computer and his fingers flew over the keyboard.

“Tony, you’ve got adrenaline pumping through your blood right now,” Bruce said. “Maybe you should rest.”

“I’m not leaving her.”

“The Cradle will take a few hours to-”

“I’m. Not. Leaving.”

Bruce sighed at the finality of Tony’s statement, and walked back up the stairs. Once Tony got an idea in his head, it was damn near impossible to convince him to do anything else.

Hours passed as the Cradle worked on repairing tissue damage. By the time it was done, Steve, Nat, and Bucky had returned to the Tower. Tony moved her to a private bedroom and waited anxiously for her to wake up. Bruce had warned him that a concussion was likely as he hooked up an IV and heart monitor. Tony merely waved him away as he pulled a chair up to the side of your bed.

“You okay?” Steve asked, placing a gentle hand on Tony’s shoulder. Bucky, Bruce, and Nat silently crept out of the room, leaving the two alone.

“Her name’s Y/N,” Tony replied, staring at the wall. “Her name’s Y/N.”

“She’s gonna be okay, Tony. I promise.”

The heart monitor beeped faintly as Tony continued to stare off into space, praying that Steve was right.

* * *

**Y/N’s POV**

 

You slowly opened your eyes and groaned at the harsh light. Memories came flooding back from the previous night.

It had been dark and rainy…there was a screeching? A car. You definitely remembered a car. No…two cars. One missed you, and the other…

“Oh my god,” you whispered, pulling at the blanket covering your chest. You were almost bare underneath, save for a bra and underwear that weren’t yours. You expected to see a smattering of bruises, especially from your foster dad, but your skin was completely clean. You held your shaking hands up and turned them over, but you couldn’t find a single scratch. You stared at the needle poking into your skin and almost threw up. You followed the tube to a machine standing next to the bed. A bag of clear liquid hung from a metal pole, and you could hear a rhythmic beeping coming from the computer-looking thing next to it.

Your breathing became shallow and quick, your chest heaving and mind racing. Were you dead? You looked around the room and finally got to observe your surroundings. Light blue walls surrounded you on every side, and a large window overlooking New York stood to your right. There was a dresser and full-length mirror against the wall, and you spotted two additional doors. It certainly wasn’t what you pictured heaven looking like, but then again, you hadn’t been dead before so…

Your chin trembled as your vision swam in front of you. A low ringing took over your ears, and you nearly bolted out of the bed when you felt something touch your shoulder. A tall man with disheveled brown hair and dark circles under his eyes stood to your left. His lips were moving, but you couldn’t hear what he was saying. He pulled your hand against his chest, and you could feel the steady thumping of his heart. You had to calm down. You needed to…

“Breathe,” the man instructed. “Just breathe, sweetheart.” He took big, gulping breaths, and you felt your hand move against his chest. You tried to mimic the motion, and soon found yourself breathing normally again.

“There you go,” he soothed. “Just like that.” Eventually, your body stopped shaking and you pulled your hand away.

“Am I dead?” you finally asked, tears building up in the corner of your eyes.

“Nope. Good as new actually,” the man chuckled, sitting down in his chair. “My name’s Tony Stark.”

“You saved me?” you asked, ignoring his introduction. No, no, no, this shouldn’t be happening. You should be dead. Being dead would be better than what you would go back to.

“Well, I did clip you with my car,” Tony admitted. “It was the least I could do.” His wit flew right over your head as you groaned and covered your face with your hands.

“Why would you do that?!” you yelled. “Why wouldn’t you just let me die?”

Tony blinked a few times. “Why do you want to die?” he asked slowly. You just shook your head as the tears flowed freely down your cheeks. “Does it have to do with the other bruises we found on you?” Your jaw clenched, and Tony’s heart ached. “I know who you are, Y/N. I know what that family’s done to you. You’re safe here.”

“How can you possibly know that?” you growled. “Huh?”

Tony placed a hand on your arm, and you flinched at his touch. He sighed and slowly pulled away as he watched you fall apart in front of him.

“I like to think I’m pretty smart, kid,” he said. “So, here’s what I know, and you tell me what I’m missing. Okay?” You nodded your head, still avoiding eye contact. “I know your name is Y/N L/N, and you’re 14 years old. You’ve been in foster care for 5 years since your parents died in a drunk driving accident. Your foster dad beat the crap out of you, and he got caught. You were staying at a group home up until last night when you ran away. Then I hi-clipped you with my car chasing a bad guy, and now we’re here.”

Your glanced sideways as you considered everything Tony said. You couldn’t deny you were impressed with his information. “You still didn’t tell me how you know I’m safe,” you said softly.

Tony nodded and drummed his fingers against the armrest of his chair. “I got in touch with your caseworker. You can stay here where no one will ever be able to hurt you again. I would die before I let that happen.”

“Stay here?” you asked.

“Yeah,” Tony replied. “Only if you want to.”

You finally met Tony’s eyes, and you were shocked with the intensity of his gaze. Your mom always said you had a gift of reading people, and right now, you put your “powers” to use. There wasn’t a doubt in your mind that Tony Stark was telling the truth.

“I don’t want to die,” you said, a broken sob escaping your chest. “I didn’t mean it.” You broke down in front of him, shoulders heaving as you let everything go. Your hand blindly reached for Tony’s and squeezed tight. He carefully sat next to you on the edge of the bed, and you leaned into his chest. He gently wrapped his arms around your shoulders, and when you didn’t pull away, he squeezed tighter.

“I know, sweetheart, I know,” he soothed. “Shhh, you’re okay.”

You weren’t sure how much time had passed as Tony continued to hold you. Seconds? Minutes? Hours? Eventually, your tears stopped and you untangled yourself from his embrace.

“So you’re Iron Man?” you asked with a smirk.

“That’s me,” he quipped.

“Why were you chasing a bad guy with your car when you have a bunch of those suits?”

“It’s not just a car,” Tony sighed. “My god, you people wouldn’t appreciate good machinery if it hit…” Tony’s cheeks tinged pink as he realized what he was about to say.

“If it hit us?” you finished. Tony cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. A giggle escaped you, and you quickly clamped your hand over your mouth. But once you started, you couldn’t stop, and soon, you were both consumed by a laughing fit.

You had no idea what your future would hold. But, as you sat on your bed laughing with your new foster dad, you had a feeling it wasn’t going to be a bad future at all.


	2. Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a month since you moved into the Avengers Tower under the care of Tony Stark. Can you learn to trust the people in your new life?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long!!

You spent the next month leaving your room as minimally as possible. Besides going to your new school and spending time with Tony down in the lab, you preferred to hide away in your sanctuary. Since you had a bathroom in your room, you really had no reason to leave. You hadn’t been given a lot of reasons to trust people, and you couldn’t let yourself open up to the other Avengers just yet. 

Tony was so, so patient with you. He would always make sure to eat dinner in your room with you, and he never failed to kiss you goodnight. Sometimes you two would sit in silence as Tony worked on lab reports and you studied or read a book. He helped you with your homework whenever you needed it, and he even offered to invite some kids from school over. You didn’t take him up on that offer just yet, but it secretly thrilled you to no end that he took such an interest in your life. Tony never made you feel like a burden, and it felt nice being really loved again.

Even the nightmares had subsided.

When you first arrived at the Tower, you woke up night after night drenched in a cold sweat. Images of fists flying at you were seared into your eyes, and you always struggled to go back to sleep. On these nights, you snuck down the hallway into Tony’s room. Sometimes, he woke up at your presence, and other times you were content to slide under the covers undetected. He never pushed you to talk, something you really appreciated. You trusted Tony, and you felt safe.

As you began to get comfortable with your surroundings, your room began to feel more like a box than anything else, and you braced yourself for a world outside your little haven.

It was a sleepy Sunday morning, and the hallways were silent as you crept your way to the kitchen. You decided to surprise Tony with some chocolate chip pancakes. After quickly pulling out all of the necessary ingredients and cookware, you got to work. Soon, you were humming to yourself as you stirred the batter. You made almost three times the recipe just in case some of the other Avengers were hungry.

You had always liked baking with your mom and dad. Even when you were little, they would spend all afternoon teaching you how to make different recipes. You swallowed down the nostalgia as you turned on the stove and started heating the pan.

But why stop at pancakes?

Determining you could multi-task, you pulled out another mixing bowl and began to scramble some eggs. By the time your pancake pan was ready, you had a huge bowl of eggs mixed with spinach and cheese. You listened to the satisfying sizzle as the egg and pancake batter met heat for the first time.

“Wow, something smells really good!”

You almost dropped your bowl as you jumped at the voice behind you. Sitting at the kitchen island was Steve Rogers. His blonde hair was disheveled and he wore a grey t-shirt and navy pajama pants. You blushed as you tried to figure out something to say. You had passed Steve a bunch of times leaving for school, but you had never actually talked to him.

“You making pancakes and eggs?” he asked, trying to get you to open up.

You nodded and gave him a small smile. Then, you quickly turned back and flipped your pancakes and scooted the eggs around. Steve walked over to the cabinet and pulled out two large plates for you to use for the finished food.

“I can leave if you want,” he suggested gently as he stepped away from you. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

You surprised yourself with your answer. “It’s okay,” you whispered. “You can stay.”

Steve’s smile nearly split his face as he sat back down at his island seat. You worked in a comfortable silence, making pancakes and eggs like nobody’s business. Before you knew it, the smell of breakfast food drew a few other stragglers down to the kitchen.

Bucky appeared first. He gave a tired hello as he laid his head on the counter.

“Nightmares?” Steve asked sympathetically.

Bucky grunted in response. He lifted his head and you could see how tired his eyes looked.

“Ummm…” you started. Both men turned their heads to you, and your cheeks turned pink under their gazes. “I...I, uh, have...nightmares too,” you managed to get out.

Bucky raised his eyebrows. “You do?”

“Yeah,” you replied, a little more confidence seeping into your voice. “They suck. Sorry you can’t sleep.” Bucky gave you a small smile. “Coffee?” you asked, pointing to the expensive machine.

Before Bucky could respond, another voice called out behind him. “Did someone say coffee?”

“For me, Wilson, not you,” Bucky deadpanned. You stifled a giggle as Sam “accidentally” bumped into Bucky as he sat at the island.

“Excuse me, didn’t see you there,” Sam said, pushing Bucky aside with his elbows. He turned to face you. “Now, I heard coffee.” His eyes wandered over to the plate of pancakes and scrambled eggs as you started the coffee maker. “Ooooo, those look amazing!” he gushed, his eyes going wide. “When can we eat?!”

“Now hang on,” Steve interrupted. “Y/N probably made these for her and Tony. Leave it alone.”

“Umm, actually,” you replied, “they’re kind of for everyone.”

“Praise the Lord!” Sam exclaimed. “I’ll set the table.” With that, he hopped out of his seat and began setting up the large dining room table. Bucky took it upon himself to start cutting some fresh fruit from the fridge.

Steve smiled gratefully. “Thanks, Y/N. It’ll be nice not eating cereal for the millionth day in a row.” You giggled at his joke and finally felt a little more comfortable. Steve quickly threw on some bacon while you transferred the eggs and pancakes over to the table.

Through the bustle and commotion, you didn’t even notice Tony come into the kitchen. He stood proudly in the doorway as you helped Sam and Bucky set the table. Even though you didn’t talk too much, the smile on your face said it all. Tony was thrilled to see you out of your room and interacting with some of the others.

“Well look who’s finally joined us,” Nat purred as she sidled up next to Tony. “Told you she’d come down eventually.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Tony replied with a wave of his hand. He didn’t want to miss a moment of your newfound confidence. When he finally caught your eye, you bounded over to him.

“Morning Tony!” You wrapped your arms around him in a hug. Tony pulled you close and placed a kiss on your forehead.

“Someone’s peppy this morning,” he chuckled. You buried your face in his shirt and squeezed tighter.

“Maybe,” you giggled. “I, uh, made some food.”

“Want to take it to your room?” Tony asked out of habit.

You shocked him by shaking your head. “I was thinking we could, um, maybe eat with, uh, everyone?”

It was a baby step for sure, but Tony was ecstatic that you wanted to start socializing.

“Absolutely, sweetheart,” he replied, hugging you again. “Absolutely.”


End file.
